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5 RULES FOR CHOOSING A LOGO FOR YOUR STARTUP

Choosing a logo for your startup means finding the essence of your company. It’s a chance to show your business’ identity and your values in a way that is straightforward and expressive. That is why selecting the right design goes far beyond Google searches and should instead require time, patience, and a lot of consideration. You have the idea and business plan. Now they need to have a face that will lure your customers.

Among the many challenges faced by startups, your identity is perhaps the toughest to discover in order to stand out among the fierce competition. Plenty of other businesses in the same niche are looking at the same audience and vying for their attention. Choosing the perfect logo is the best way attract it so that your excellent products and services can keep it. However, there are a few rules to bear in mind if you want to achieve those sought-after results.

1. GET AN EARLY START

It’s not a moment’s decision, a sign you saw in the clouds, or something that just came to you. A logo needs to be well thought-out, analyzed, and understood. It will represent the essence of your company, so it must be memorable and aesthetically appealing. Numerous startups often become immersed in the excitement of it all and leap at the first option. However, the logo needs to represent you, which is why it should be among the first things you think about. An overall concept might be a spur of the moment inspiration, but the entire design should take weeks of assessment and alterations. Starting early means that you will have no immediate marketing responsibility that might rush your decision.

One important thing you need to accept from the beginning: you might change it. There is a distinct possibility that you will either want or need to modify the design of your logo throughout the years. That is something to keep in mind because as time passes, your business changes. You will have different targets, perhaps a vaster audience, and a better message to send. Your startup will never grow unless you accept the concept that change can also mean progress.

2. PICK EMOTIONS, NOT COLORS

The color of a logo plays a crucial role in its message. Every single one has a message behind it. And, more importantly, a feeling that it evokes in your potential customers. Opting for the right color is as important as choosing the right design for your logo. It’s what defines your brand and what your clients will remember. Think of the peaceful feeling of green, the comfort of blue, the professionalism of black, or the energy of yellow. Each shade has an emotion attached to it, which is why picking it is essentially choosing what you want your customers to feel.

For example, take Coca-Cola’s famous logo, with its trademark swirly font. However, that’s not as often associated with their brand as the bright red. In fact, Coke Red has become the name of the tint itself. That is because it’s the perfect choice to inspire the brand’s message. It speaks of passion, love, trust, and vivacity, something that grabs your attention and holds it. The color itself has been the root of their marketing campaign because it centers around those evocative emotions, including their current global campaign which is “Taste The Feeling.” It speaks of fun and excitement. Your company’s logo should likewise express feelings, so think of the message first and the aesthetic appeal second.

3. SIMPLE IS A TIMELESS CLASSIC

Straightforward and clean designs make the most memorable logos, and that’s what you want yours to do. Every startup just entering the market has to face a huge competition. That is why the need to be memorable is vital. One of the most important rules when choosing a logo for your startup is to keep it simple and classic. According to WireSeek, some of the largest tech companies, TV & internet service providers have extremely simple yet memorable logos. Take Verizon or Time Warners Cable as an example. There may be a temptation to stuff it with complicated elements that look fancy. However, that could run the risk of it becoming too busy, distracting, or even confusing.

Keep this critical rule in mind: your logo should be distinctive, not descriptive. It needs to send a message, not the whole story. That is why it’s imperative that you cut down on unnecessary elements, don’t use more than two different fonts, and fight the temptation of copying other designs.

4. ALWAYS LOOK FOR UNIQUENESS AND VERSATILITY

Choosing a logo will arrive with the inevitable habit of taking a look at your competitors and seeing their designs. This is the right kind of inspiration. You need to understand what your competition is doing and what sort of emotions it evokes in their customers. However, copying their logo is not only a poor investment in your brand’s identity, but it’s also a way to make it forgettable. The uniqueness of the design should imprint in your client’s mind, and they should associate it with your business.

A study from the University of Amsterdam showed that children at the tender age of 2-3 years old could recognize famous brands and products based on their logos 67% of the time. That is a tremendous sign of a logo’s potential. It can have an impact even on young minds, which is why it’s important that it’s unique so that the association with your business is easy. In addition, you should remember that your logo must have versatility. It will be on your website, business cards, door, flyers, and even mugs, cars, or pens. Don’t think of just the print on paper.

5. GO WITH A PROFESSIONAL AND LISTEN

As a startup, you may not have a stellar budget, but your logo is not where you should skimp. There are hundreds of generators ready to make one for you, but it’s not enough. It will be generic and meaningless. That is why hiring a professional is a golden rule of creating a truly memorable logo. More importantly, it’s crucial that you listen. Most of us like to think we have a knack for creativity. But don’t forget that you are paying someone else to help you, so take their input and opinion into consideration. It’s their job to create the best logo for your brand.

So, pay attention and make the creative process a discussion, not a series of instructions and demands. However, there is one important side note within this rule: know what you want. It may be up to the designer to translate your brand’s image and message into a logo, but it’s up to you to decide your business’ values. They cannot offer high-quality services unless you understand what your startup represents or what you want it to say. By the end, make sure your logo is vector based and ask for a full portfolio of your brand’s identity.

Finding a logo is no easy task. It represents your business’ essence which could set the tone for the entire company. Take comfort in the fact that choosing a logo for your startup should be challenging. If it’s easy, there’s probably something you’re doing wrong.